Poland plans to close border with Belarus by summer 2025 – FT

Financial Times reports.

Polish Deputy Minister for Migration Affairs, Maciej Duszczyk, announced that additional work on the 400-kilometer border was expected to be completed by mid-2025. He stated that upon completion of the construction, the border security level would reach nearly 100%.

The report highlighted that the construction of the border fence had started in late 2021, following the migration crisis orchestrated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. This crisis had directed tens of thousands of migrants to Poland’s border, many of whom had reportedly received visas for direct flights from the Middle East and Africa to Moscow or Minsk. From there, they were transported by buses to the Polish border.

Since assuming office, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had prioritized countering what he referred to as Russia's "hybrid war." The government had ordered the installation of night vision cameras, thermal imaging devices, and a new patrol road, while also reinforcing the five-meter steel fence built by the previous administration in 2022. Over 2.5 billion zlotys (approximately €587 million) was set to be spent on border fortifications, with half of the funds coming from Tusk’s budget.

Duszczyk expressed hope that the artificially created migration route would be closed by the summer of the following year. He also mentioned the need for Warsaw to prepare for potential attempts by Lukashenko to escalate tensions and sabotage efforts to reinforce Ukraine’s infrastructure.

The minister further remarked that Poland maintained a tough stance on migration, drawing comparisons to Spain’s approach to handling migrants attempting to breach the fences surrounding its North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that Russia poses a serious threat to the European Union’s security, as it may use illegal immigration to destabilize Europe.